time, let the preventives be immediately employed. Powder it with a little ginger or pepper; then powder it with charcoal, and hang it in a charcoal basket, in a dark, dry, but not too airy place. If it begins to heave or swell about the fore-bone, prick it, and pounce it with pepper, and cover it with charcoal; but after that it will not keep much longer: or wash it twice over with doubledistilled vinegar, seeing that there is no part fly-blown ; then dredge a little ginger over the fore-bone, or cover it with fresh, fine-pounded charcoal; wrap it in a very nice dry cloth, and hang it in a charcoal basket: examine it from time to time, changing the cloth, which must be very dry. A clove of garlic, with a bit of bay-salt, may be put into the knuckle. But such as can afford it, and wish to eat venison and mutton in high perfection, may keep it in the following manner :

Venison Tub, or Method of keeping Meats in Treacle, excellent for Sea Store.

Prepare such a sized tub or vessel as will hold the quantity of meat sufficient for the consumption, and that the meats may be known, so that they may be put in and taken out in succession, as they may be kept fresh in it

for many

weeks.

If three or four legs are put in at first, and one taken out in eight days, when another is to be put in to replace it, at the end of a month there will be a constant succession of a leg a week, which will have been three weeks in the treacle. They ought all to be tied at the knuckle, so that they may be hung over the vessel to drip. Knots may be tied on the packthread, to distinguish the time of putting them in; and if there is no objection to garlic, a clove may be put in the knuckle. Cover the tub close, and keep it in a very cool place, not subject to atmospherical changes. Mutton is equal to venison, prepared in this way.

Another.

Make a marinade of half strong vinegar and water, with onions, shalots, and garlic in slices, sage, juniper, basil, thyme, and very little salt; marinade the haunch, fillets, or any other part. Make it with more vinegar and salt, if the venison is to be kept long.

When it is to be dressed, it must be steeped according to the time it has been kept; wipe it well, wrap it up in buttered paper, and roast it as fresh venison.

There is less attention given to the care of venison than any other meat, which seems very astonishing when its value is considered. All meats may be preserved by the above methods.

What could have introduced the extraordinary practice of roasting venison in paste? as in this mode of dressing it is neither roasted nor baked, not being exposed to the air; nor is the juice preserved, being drawn out by the paste, as it naturally opens the pores, which the immediate action of the fire hardens and shuts, which gives to roasted and grilled meats their fine flavour. The French think we eat this hard-water paste along with the venison, and direct it, at the article of Venison à l'Anglaise, to be sent to table in the paste. The venison, and particularly the fat, ought to be well and doubly papered; and if any preserve a strong predilection for paste, let it be rich, and closely applied to the fat alone; and as the fat is seldom sufficient, there may be a nice piece of mutton fat steeped in port wine for thirty hours, and tacked over the fat and should it not be required, it will be very necessary for assisting the redressing.

Fawn.

The mountain fawn is seldom good, as the herbs on which the dam subsists are late of coming into season; but this is not the case with deer reared in parks, the fawns of which are generally good, and are dressed as hare from the dam, and afterwards as kid or lamb (if they are not larded, they ought to be barbed), the muscles being firmer and stronger of wild than tame animals. They ought to be cooked as pigs are, put warm upon the spit, or hung a considerable time: the first is best where it can be managed, as young meat, although it becomes more tender by hanging, if not spitted warm, does not improve in flavour, as that of riper age.

Haunch.

One or two pounds of mutton tat ought to be prepared two days before, as above. This fat ought to be tacked

closely over the fat of the venison, which, if it has hung so long as to have the least taint, steep it several hours in charcoal or lime-water; wash it well, and lay it down at a proper distance from the fire, and wash it continually from ten to fifteen minutes with charcoal-water, in which a bruised clove of garlic has been boiled; then take up the venison, and paper it nicely with thick or double paper. Never use a large pin or skewers, but a needle, and do it tightly, and tie it well with packthread; on laying it down, baste it all over immediately: but as many from prejudice, and others from the force of custom, may not think their venison can be properly roasted unless it is done in paste—

Make water paste, roll it out half an inch thick upon paper large enough to cover the venison; but which is the best way of doing it is not yet decided among cooks. Some lay the venison naked into the paste, others clothe it in paper, and some with buttered paper, and a few only cover the fat; so that it is still a matter of fancy among cooks, and of course may remain long undecided.

Venison, like all other wild animals, takes less cooking than tame. If the fire is sufficiently large and steady, and the venison well basted, rather less than four hours will do the largest haunch, and so in proportion.

Gravy should always be made for it. Cut two pounds of lean mutton in thin slices, and broil them a nice brown, and brown a pint and a half of water with a toast, and put it to it in a saucepan; cover close, and if garlic is not disliked, put in from a half to a whole clove bruised; let it boil, lute it, and set it to simmer for two hours; as the slices are thin, by that time all the juice the water will take will be extracted; any longer will make it muddy: observe that putting water in to boil down is unnecessary, and destroys the flavour, which is carried off in the steam.

Bread sauce, with wine and currants, may be served; but the proper sauces now are currant jelly and port wine, sugar, syrup, and claret. On particular occasions, garnish the dish with gems of currant jelly, lay some over the venison, and send to table a crystal dish with a large quantity of it.

Shoulder and Breast collared and roasted, or braised. When in condition, they are both roasted as above, but otherwise are boned and rolled with prepared mutton fat. (See the article Mock Venison). Strew over it a little allspice and salt, and sprinkle it with garlic vinegar, port wine, and sugar; roll it up tight, tack it firm, and simmer it in stock with a glass of port wine or red vinegar. It may be glazed, and served with currant jelly sauce, and some of the braise thickened in the dish; or let it cool, lard and roast it, basting it with braise, or port wine and butter. These collars may be sliced and warmed in the

sauce.

Cutlets.

Cut and pare them nicely, and marinade them for 12 or 15 hours; dry, and put them in a frying-pan with oil or clarified butter, and cook them over a brisk fire: let them be sufficiently done, and serve them with gravy, port, and currant jelly.

Civet.

Cut the breast or neck in steaks; cut some slices of bacon, and put it into a stewpan with a piece of butter, and cook it; drain out the bacon, and add as much flour as will make a light roux of the butter; put in the meat, turn, and harden it on all sides; moisten with a bottle of red wine, and double the quantity of water or stock; season with parsley, onions, garlic, thyme, pepper, and salt; stir and shake it often, that it may not stick; add small raw onions and mushrooms, giving them time, or already cooked in butter; skim the sauce; if too thin, reduce it. It is excellent in a casserole.

Venison Fry.

Fry, and serve over crisped parsley; or dress it in a fricassée or ragoût.

Brains. (See Veal.)

Marinade, slice, fry, and serve over crisped parsley.

To prepare for Pasties, see Beef and Mutton.
Excellent Pasties.

Cut and marinade any part of the neck or breast for two days; cut it in chops, without boning it; season with

allspice and salt, and put in a sufficient quantity of prepared mutton fat; braise it two or three hours among the embers, and cover it with pie or puff paste; when it is taken out of the oven, put in a sauce of port wine and jelly with a funnel; shake it well, glaze, and put it again into the oven for ten minutes; the oven must not be too hot, but steady.

Olives.

Cut slices of under-done or raw venison, and make a farce of mutton and beef suet or marrow, currants or dates, with salt and a little garlic; spread it upon the venison; finish and serve as other olives; or bake them in pies (see that article), or season savoury with anchovies. The fruit may be pounded in the farce, or mixed in whole, or minced.

To re-dress Venison in Cutlets, Hash, Collops, Pasties, Patties, &c.

Cut them from any fleshy part that has been under-done; marinade, cook, and serve them as cutlets.

Hash.

Cut it in nice fillets, and warm it in prepared gravy.

Collops.

Mince what will not cut in fillets; heat them in a fryingpan over the fire with a little butter; let them harden and separate, but not brown; put in half a handful of prepared plumped currants, a little gravy and port wine, with sugar and salt; if the quantity is small, lay a sippet under; dish and garnish with sippets. Mutton dresses well in this way: beat them with a sharp wooden beater.

For Pasty, see Pasty.

For patties, mince small with half the quantity of beefsuet; mix, and toss in gravy, port, and currant jelly, and fill into the hot paste.

Venison Marrow Zests or Toast.

Prepare toasts; steep them in port or claret and sugar ; fry them a nice brown; heat the bone; lay the spinal